Perez keen to fight for the title

Sergio Perez says he is keen to try and fight for the championship title when he switches to McLaren for the 2013 F1 season.

The Mexican will replace Lewis Hamilton next year after agreeing a multi-year deal with the team after an impressive campaign with Sauber – which has seen him finish on the podium on three occasions.

Speaking in an interview with CNN, Perez said he was eager to make sure he hits the ground running when he switches teams next year and that included making a bid for the championship crown.

"My target straight away is to win the world championship," he said. "I need to get wins to do that. I know it will be very hard to win the championship but it's the challenge I want."

Perez will line-up alongside former champion Jenson Button for the 2013 season and he said was eager to learn from the 2009 title winner as he seeks to fill the 'big shoes' left by Hamilton's switch to Mercedes.

"I've spoken to Jenson a bit since I signed for McLaren," the Mexican said. "He seems to be a great guy and I think he'll be good fun as a team-mate. He's a very tough guy to beat and is very experienced. He's one of the fastest guys out there.

"For sure, I've got big shoes to fill. I rate him [Hamilton] very highly and he's maybe the fastest out there. It's going to be tough to follow what he did."

Before making the switch however, Perez said he was eager to end the season strongly for Sauber, with the team seeking to steal fifth in the standings from Mercedes in the final two races of the year.

"All my podiums were equally great," he said of his season to date, "but I'm disappointed I've not had a win. I want to win at Sauber before leaving. Sauber has become like a family to me, and it's always hard to leave your family.

"I still want to give everything until the last lap of the last lap. I want to give everything I can."

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